Styles

OK, so I guess I'll just have to start from scratch again. But, to make sure this doesn't happen again, if I switch to manual mode, I can delete the songs off my harddrive and it won't delete off the iPod when I plug it into the computer, correct? And what happens when I want to add a new CD? I assume I can manually drag the tracks to the iPod without losing my already saved songs?

OK, I'm pissed. I was almost out of space on my computer because of all the songs saved to iTunes. So I deleted them off my harddrive since they've already been copied from my CDs to my iPod. I got a new CD, and went to put that on my iPod and to my horror, because I apparently erased the songs off of iTunes, now they've been erased off my iPod too. Now it looks like I have to go through the damn long process of copying my CDs all over again. Now, this still leaves the problem, that I simply don't have enough room on my computer to be storing all these thousands of songs. Is there anyway to get around this? Do I have to have my complete collection on my iPod also on iTunes, lest they all be erased every time I just want to add one new CD?

I guess negotiations are dead Oh well, the fantasy sports writers will have some fun stuff to report on tommorow.

And I've PMed you. OMG~!

What I referred to as "inconveniance" was procedural, that is inflicted by the goverment. The Jews were NOT CITIZENS in Nazi Germany and institutionally set up for slaughter. The US government doesn't give tax breaks for marriage to gays and they might have some trouble with anti-discrimination legislation in the workplace. That's about it. Whatever intolerant assholes do, is their own personal business and actions, and they are justly charged and punished for their crimes. It's a world of difference which still makes Nazi Germany a stupid and insulting analogy...

I'm salivating at your starters. Who would you be most open to trading? I can offer up Eric Chavez, Richie Sexson, Steve Finley...pretty much anyone you want besides Tejada, Kent and Lopez.

Yeah, I dipped slightly, as expected but still within range. Once again I'm hunting for good starting pitching (aren't we all?) so I'm open to offers...

Cuban, respond to my trade offer!

Bah, just watched the tape. The Wizards defense collapsed at the end there. Exciting game though, this should be a fun series... Not good seeing Kwame limp off the court. It's a bruised right knee. Hopefully he'll be ready to go Wednesday.

Some Observer reader responses:

Oh, I don't regret the purchase. I've ordered WWE PPVs that were FAR FAR worse (New Year's Revolution). It wasn't just my uncle falling asleep, I really was thinking of tapping out myself. Like I said, it picked up in the second half but the first hour or so was just brutal. Oh, and RRR they didn't show any entrances.

RRR, I'm assuming you watched the show online, but how was it up so quickly? Anyway, as someone who saw it live it was just a boring show. Usually when I watch Pride shows I feel a real excitment and there's a lot of action. There wasn't much on this show. The first match was just a lot of stalling and Randleman's insisitence on not doing anything ruined it. It wasn't like Nak dominated or anything, Randleman just sucked and he snuck by. Then, when we desperately needed some excitment after 25 minutes of boredom, Lister and Arona do absolutely nothing interesting for another 25 minutes. It's not that it was a ground fight that made it boring. Even the announcers were saying the same thing and mentioned a fight from Bushido that was all ground and very exciting. Then it was time for Igor and I wasnted to see him rip poor Yuki Kondo's head off. Instead he decided to go to the ground and prove he could control there. Now on any other night it would have been an impressive win for Igor, but after 2 long, ground based decisions, we didn't need to see another. And even Bas was pointing out how Igor seemed to be gassed at times and didn't have much on his G&P. Overheem and Belfort FINALLY seemed to be bringing the action and then Vitor just gets caught in that choke which was really anticlimatic. Nog/Henderson was good, but unmemorable and too short. Sak knocking out the judo guy was fun. No complaints there. Shogun's demolishing of Rampage was fun too but it would have been a billion times better if Rampage could have fought back and made it competitive. Silva vs. Yoshida was a good match but there seemed to be a lot of stalling and holding back by Silva, especially the second round and most of the third. The excuse the announcers kept giving was all the fighters had too much respect for their opponents and were trying too hard not to make a mistake and not to lose, rather then trying to win, and that Shogun and Yoshida in a losing effort were the only ones really trying to win. There was just so much buildup and anticipation and it fell way short, especially when compared to the 03 Total Elimination. The first half of the show was just brutal and coma inducing (and in fact, my Uncle who's visiting and is a boxing fan wanted to watch the show with me, literally fell asleep and was snoring during Lister/Arona and decided to leave after Belfort/Overheem. I tried to tell him it's usually much better then this, but he was thouroughly unimpressed). It was just not the show Pride needed to have, especially if they were trying to gain new fans from UFC's momentum.

They're in a REALLY tough month with Wrestlemania, UFC, Pride and Backlash next week. It has a lot of potential to be an entertaining show. I just blew 30 bucks on a dissapointing Pride, and I'm going back to school tommorow with no PPV so I won't be ordering it. Here's Dave Meltzer's preview for those interested: TNA Lockdown features eight cage matches: *Apolo vs. Lance Hoyt - Apolo is the one being pushed so he should go over *Sonjay Dutt vs. Chris Sabin vs. Michael Shane vs. Shocker with the winner getting an X Division title shot in escape the cage rules. On the surface, Shocker should go over, since Dusty wants to make a star out of him. However, he's supposed to main event TripleMania, which is the same night as TNA's next PPV. That probably makes Shane the favorite as Rhodes has been wanting to do something with him as a single *Dustin Rhodes vs. Bobby Roode in a Prince of Darkness match. Yes, they are doing the worked blindfold gimmick, which makes for easy matches on the body, but horrible for fans who want action. *Jeff Hardy vs. Raven in a tables match. Raven is on the shit list after the Dustin series, so Jeff is the likely winner *AMW vs. Eric Young & Petey Williams for the tag titles. Well, the effort should be there. They have a pretty high standard to live up to because AMW's last PPV cage match was ridiculously good, and their last title match with Team Canada was one of the best matches of the year. *Christopher Daniels vs. Elix Skipper for the X division title. Skipper is hit and miss, but Daniels is the best guy on the roster to have a match with him. Should be good, might be great *Jeff Jarrett & The Outlaw & Monty Brown vs. DDP & Sean Waltman and the dreaded mystery partner (Kevin Nash is out, although he is supposed to be there) in a War Games style one person after another comes in 2:00 intervals type of deal *A.J. Styles vs. Abyss, winner faces Jarrett on 5/15 for the title. The 8 cage matches sound redundant, but on paper, this is a lot stronger line-up than last month.

God that was awful. To everyone I convinced to order the show, I'm truthfully sorry. I don't know how a show stacked with so much talent could be so boring. To those who saved their 30 bucks, I wish I had did the same. Was there something in the air in Osaka or something? First hour was brutal, the first 3 fights were coma inducing. Silva/Yoshida has it's fun moments and is probably FOTN, and Shogun's squash was entertaining (though not satisfying when it comes to Rampage's complete lack of effort). And Sakuraba knocked out the judo guy in less then a minute. Otherwise everyone else just held back and lied around on the ground. You know the show's bad when the announcers are openly trashing it and calling it boring. Randleman, Belfort and Jackson. My goodness. What is up with these guys? Even Igor didn't deliver like he should have. Trying to make the matchups with the elite 8, I'm really struggling to come up with an entertaining card. I assume they're hoping to save Vovchanchyn vs. Silva for the finals or semis so that's probably not an option. I'd assume since they wanted to do Silva/Sakuraba 4 anyway they'll just get that out of their system. Silva vs. Sakuraba Shogun vs. Nakamura Vovchanchyn vs. Arona Rogerio vs. Overheem Meh.

One last preview to get everyone ready for the show tonight. From wrestlingobserver.com Mike Coughlin previews the Pride tournament “The Half Guarded Truth” By: Mike Coughlin [email protected] “April Madness” In 2003 PRIDE put on the greatest tournament in MMA history. It seemed that almost every match was fantastic, and the tournament provided two legitimate fight of the year candidates. This year, PRIDE is back, and the tournament is not only bigger, but somehow better. With a few exceptions, PRIDE has found every top 205 lb fighter in the world sans Couture, Liddell, and Ortiz. 16 fighters and 8 amazing fights are on the docket for Saturday, April 23rd. The odds are up in time, so along with my picks I’ll provide some insight into what I think are good bets. As always, gambling is serious and I urge everyone to only bet what they can afford to lose. If you’d feel comfortable buying a video game with the money, then bet it. If not, then don’t. Don’t expect to make a down payment on a house or anything. Now then, onto the illicit fun! Wanderlei Silva (-360) v. Hidehiko Yoshida (+280) It was one of the best fights of 2003, scoring FOTY honors in many polls, and put Yoshida on the mat as a legitimate force in the 205 lb division. This time around it’s being billed as the guy who beat Mark Hunt (Yoshida) v. the guy who Mark Hunt beat (Silva). Their first fight saw Yoshida give Silva a great deal of difficulty in the first 10 minutes, even having a semi-near submission (I don’t think it was all that dangerous to be honest). He took Silva down with some great throws and probably shocked the champion. During the 2nd round, Silva established dominance and battered the Judo champion with some wicked strikes. In a moment that shocked the world, and even the participants, Yoshida actually stood toe-to-toe with Wanderlei and traded strikes. It was almost an act of suicide, but the Japanese star did well enough, and even landed a few blows. It was an incredible contest and if Yoshida had been given the nod by the judges it would not have been a robbery. Standing the edge is obviously Silva’s, that’s no question. On the ground, Silva is no slouch, but he doesn’t want to be there. Yoshida is freakishly strong for a 205 lb guy and hi gi adds a dimension that many MMArtists aren’t prepared for. Yet despite Yoshida giving Silva one of his toughest challenges, he comes into the fight a notable underdog. +280 is far too steep and if Yoshida is healthy and in top shape, he could be a threat to the man who has never lost to someone his own size while in PRIDE. While I expect Silva to win, the odds are such that money should be put on Yoshida. Winner: Silva Best bet: Yoshida *** Nogueira (-115) v. Henderson (-115) Lil Nog is the twin brother of the HW phenom (who is rumored to be heading to the UFC) and a very well rounded fighter. He has good striking, good jiu-jitsu, and a solid chin. His only weakness would probably be his wrestling base. Dan Henderson has a tremendous wrestling base, as he’s world class on the mat. He has good striking and a great chin. His submissions are probably his weakest area, and if he’s on his back he could be in trouble (as most guys from Team Quest seem to be). At PRIDE 24 Henderson lost to Lil Nog’s brother, and while the two Nog’s fight similarly, this one isn’t as talented – yet. Dan is one of the best fighters on the planet, pound for pound. Unfortunately for him he’s giving up a bit of weight. Nog should come into the fight anywhere from 10-20 lbs heavier, and that could mean the difference. With odds like this, I like Nogueira. However, Dan Henderson has a reputation for winning damn near every decision he’s ever involved in, so keep that in mind. Winner: Nogueira Best bet: Nogueira *** Yuki Kondo (+250) v. Igor Vovchanchyn (-330) Kondo is around 190 lbs, super talented standing, very talented on the ground, and he’s going to get his head knocked off. Igor is a guy who was formerly the number one fighter in the world – at heavyweight. Kondo should be fighting in the 185 division and will be in a world of trouble against the heavy handed Russian. Igor has a great ability to sprawl and has shut down some of the best takedowns in the business. The fight will be all on the feet and Igor will knock Kondo out in the first round. Winner: Igor Best bet: Igor (though I never recommend betting on anyone with odds like this, because anything can happen in a fight) *** Quinton RAMPAGE Jackson (-160) v. Mauricio SHOGUN Rua (+130) This could easily be the fight of the night. Jackson looked poor in his last fight, a bout against Rua’s brother, Ninja. However, Rampage took that fight on short notice and it showed with his cardio failing him. Shogun is very talented and hyper aggressive. He’s also never fought at this level before (though, in fairness, few have). Jackson is very well rounded, but so is Rua. The difference will probably be that Quinton can dictate where the fight takes place. If he feels uncomfortable striking, he can slam (and probably will anyways, just for the hell of it) Shogun through the mat. If Jackson finds that Rua is trouble on the ground, he’ll keep it standing. Jackson will probably be motivated to reprove himself here and I’d expect him to win. But, a coming out party for Shogun wouldn’t be a surprise either. Winner: Jackson Best bet: neither. *** Kevin Randleman (+125) v. Kazuhiro Nakamura (-155) This is practically a joke. Randleman should be favored to win not only this tournament, but damn near any fight he’s in. But, he’s a mental flake and as Bryan Alvarez said, “Kevin Randleman finds a way to lose.” With the exception of maybe (MAYBE) Vitor Belfort, there hasn’t been a bigger waste of natural talent than The Monster. Nakamura’s good and a decent submission threat. But I don’t see him outstriking Big Kev, and I think Kevin’s wrestling and freakish strength will neutralize his Judo takedowns. I’ll “pick” Randleman, but that’s basically sealing my fate and guaranteeing that he loses. Winner: Randleman Best bet: Nakamura because Kevin is too risky *** Vitor Belfort (-140) v. Alistair Overeem (+110) And speaking of Vitor Belfort. Vitor has some of the most amazing skills in MMA. He’s a great wrestler (totally underrated – Couture said he was the toughest to take down), his hands are awesome, and his submissions are very tight. On paper, Vitor Belfort should be impossible to beat. But he loses because his head isn’t always there. Alistair is good. He loves to throw flying knees and is a great striker. On the ground he’s improving and will even be heading to the presitigious Abu Dhabi Submission Grappling Tournament later this year (held in LA) as a European representative. But he has cardio problems. And while Vitor can gas at times, I’ll still pick him to be more physically prepapred. Winner: Vitor Belfort Best bet: Neither. The odds are too close, as is the fight. *** Ricardo Arona (-300) v. Dean Lister (+240) PRIDE was nice to all the submission grappling fans out there as this is a preview of the ADCC’s main event for this year. Arona was the former absolute (open weight) division champion and Lister is the most recent king. But, poor Lister could be in for a long night as everything he does, Arona does as well, if not better (we’ll find out soon). Ricardo is also a bit larger, with Lister being able to fight around 185 (if he really wanted to). Arona also has a great deal more MMA experience and trains with the best in the world. Lister is slick and probably won’t get submitted, but expect Arona to constantly take him down and GnP a victory. Winner: Arona Best bet: Lister, because Arona is too heavy a favorite. *** Kazushi Sakuraba (-650) v. Yoon Don Sik (+450 I swear I thought this was a typo when I first read it. Saku has infinitely more experience in MMA (no one can really compare though, as he’s fought at the highest level for about as long as humanly possible – and then some). His whole career he made a habit out of embaressing foes who were anywhere from 20-40 lbs heavier than him, and holds victories over 3 fighters in the tournament (Randleman, Belfort, Jackson). He basically reinvented MMA at times and his ground skills are still probably years ahead of anyone. He wears shirts that say WATER and that is him. Yoon Don Sik is a world class Judoka and will outweigh Saku. He should also be healthy. That’s pretty much all he has on Sakuraba. Weight and health. If healthy, Sakuraba can probably beat anyone, in any weight class (not saying he’d be a favorite, but he COULD do it). That all said, I have no idea why the odds are this steep. Sakuraba is my hero. I idolize him more than any other fighter, but he’s old and beaten down. I doubt he’s healthy and this is after having not fought for a long period of time. He is the very definition of “ravaged body.” While Sik has no MMA experience, and Saku should be able to beat him standing and on the ground, Yoon Son Sik is healthy and that could mean all the difference. There have been times when Sakuraba fought with essentially only one leg (Giles Aresne at PRIDE 23). He may be in even rougher shape now. I hope Saku taps him out and moves on in the tournament fully healthy, shocks the world, and retires as champion. Realistically I see him getting a victory here and then being crushed in the next round. Boxing had Ali, MMA has Sakuraba. Winner: Sakuraba Best bet: Yoon Don Sik So there you have it. Again, my winners are: Silva Rampage Nog Saku Belfort Randleman (God help me) Igor Jackson My sleeper pick to win the tournament is Nogueira. And if Igor meets Silva, I expect the Russian to knock Silva out. I also predict that Randleman will do something newsworthy, be it shocking everyone and winning it all, or knocking himself out while walking around backstage (which he did one at a UFC event prior to a title fight against Pedro Rizzo – I swear that’s true).

New Abyss vs. Styles preview added and second update confirming Nash will be at the PPV.

Cuban, I sent you a trade offer.

Ok I need pitching. Especially starting pitching and maybe a closer too. Pretty much everyone on my team is up for grabs with the exceptions of Tejada, Kent, Lopez, Mora and Rodrigo Lopez. So I'm dangling Eric Chavez and Richie Sexson out there. If someone would like to do a "salary dump" so to speak, I'm also willing to hear offers for players you're trying to dump for in exchange for taking Sidney Ponson and Brett Tomko. Make me an offer because I'm getting crushed this week and it's making me nervous enough to consider releasing a Steinbrenner like letter...

That's awesome dude. If you can bring about such a drastic change in yourself, it surely gives people like myself just looking to drop a few pounds a lot of confidence.

I think it would be awesome if Mike took Paul E.'s old gimmick and smashed a giant cell phone over the heads of his online opponents. And Robot Jerk could be Dean Douglas or something...

This is the most bizzare thread in CE in quite a while. Just all over the place. Anyway, since the ridiculousness of Islam was one of the many diverse subjects brought up in this thread, I thought this link I found would be interesting. Jesus was a Muslim and saved by Allah? OMG WTF~?! http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-start.htm

Amen. Ditto. It's borderline offensive that he keeps pushing it as a comparison. The Nurenberg laws were to make Jews second class citizens in every sense of the word, to seperate them from their community and humanity as a whole and to prepare them for deportation and eventual slaughter. That does not equal, "gays face some inconveniance in certain areas because their lifestyle is not yet fully accepted by society".

I don't know. My impression is a wish is just something you want to happen, and a prayer is something you ask God to make happen...

Vitmain X is right! I used to always drink lots of regular coke and hated the taste of diet. Now I've switched to diet and I don't like the taste of regular, it's too sweet. Diet Coke tastes good and gives me a caffeine boost with none of the calories. Anyway, I've recently started an exercize program that focues on lifting weights and doing cardio every other day, plus I do a lot of walking anyway just around campus to get to and from classes. Diet per se doesn't have a real structure to it, but I'm just trying to avoid eating things that I know are bad for me, at least in moderation. I'm trying to get myself to eat breakfast in the morning which is supposed to be good for your metabolism, eat things like eggs or oatmeal or fruit. For lunch I try to eat something like a turkey sandwich or tuna salad and use wheat or whole grain bread instead of white. I also can pasta and try to eat some vegetables too. For dinner it's lean meat like grilled/roasted chicken, pork, fish (even though I hate most fish) and of course a salad with it with oil based dressing. Or something like pasta with red sauce. In the early night I try to eat a snack too, whether it be a grilled chicken sandwich from the Chick-Fil-A at the student union or something simpler like cottage cheese or cheerios and milk. But, yeah I think the key is to get some sort of exercise or physical activity and then just watch what you eat in terms of making smart choices. I'm not really huge or anything (in fact I'm a short 5'6 but weigh about 170, so I need to lose some flab, about 15 pounds is my goal, and then hopefully some muscle to compensate). It's doable, it just takes dicipline and commitment...

So, anyone have that gif of Rampage powerbombing/headbutting Arona into a KO out of a triangle?